Lawrence, Kansas is one of the most culturally rich cities in America–at least, I think so. We’re the home of some great artists, bands (The Get Up Kids!), writers (Laura Moriarty! William S. Burroughs!) and filmmakers. We’re also pretty good at college basketball. James Naismith, who INVENTED THE GAME, was KU’s first basketball coach. And if all that weren’t enough, we’ve got a unique history of civil rights that dates back to the pre-Civil War days.

If any of that interests you at all, there’s an opportunity for you to learn a bit more about the history of Lawrence, college basketball and civil rights, while helping out an independent filmmaker at the same time. It’s a perfect, all-in-one package! Lawrence filmmaker (and local hero) Kevin Willmott is making a new film, “Jayhawkers,” about college basketball in the 1950s, and how the KU basketball team–which, at the time, included not-yet-NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain–changed the game and the community. He’s got a kickstarter project going right now to raise the funding.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kevin Willmott’s work, I urge you to check out his other films, including “The Only Good Indian” and “CSA: Confederate States of America,” which is available on Netflix streaming.

Anyone who lives in Lawrence already knows what a cool opportunity this is, but for those of you who don’t, believe me, this is a project worth your money. So what do you say? Let’s help Kevin Willmott get his movie made!